


the blood of the covenant

by jimlafleur



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Mild descriptions of violence, Teacher/Single Parent AU, larger age difference between octavia and bellamy, mainly Bellarke but the Blakes are adorable too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 11:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2190561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimlafleur/pseuds/jimlafleur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Miss Griffin!” Bellamy called out before she could open her car door. He ran up to her, and didn't stop until he was directly in front of her, so close that she bumped into her side mirror, leaving it crooked. She reached out to adjust it back to normal, but he did it for her.</p>
<p>Bemused, the teacher focused back in him, with wide eyes and a parted mouth. “Can I help you?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	the blood of the covenant

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [spacemissions](http://spacemissions.tumblr.com/) for requesting Bellarke, and Teacher/Single Parent AU! I hope this is acceptable.

He smoothed the hair out of her eyes. “It’s okay,” he cooed, for probably the 20th time, when suddenly her eyes widened and the tears stopped.

“Bell, it’s Miss Griffin!”

His head turned around abruptly, and saw her. She was of average height, with blond hair that fell just past her shoulders. She dressed plainly, wearing a white pinstriped button-down and dark navy skinny jeans. The only color she wore was in her necklace, which consisted of many cool-toned jewels linked together by a golden chain. It was a casual and formal look at the same time. At first glance, Bellamy did not expect her to be a 4th grade teacher. He doubted it so much that her looked back at his sister, furrowed his brows together, and asked, “You're sure that’s her?”

Octavia, being a fiery, prideful 11 year old, took offence. “Of course I'm sure! She’s been my teacher since September! How could I not know it was her?!” Tears were welling up in her eyes again, and Bellamy was sure she was going to defend herself some more.

“Alright, alright,” he interrupted quickly, before things got worse. He pulled her forehead to his lips and muttered (nearly inaudibly): “I'll go talk to her.” He tried giving her a smile and wiped away her tears with his thumb. “I'll be right back. Stay right here.” Bellamy assured, and after a final look, he opened the car door and stepped out. As he walked away, he mentally cursed himself. _I should have told her not to talk to strangers. When have I ever forgotten to tell her not to talk to strangers?_ He almost turned back, but Miss Griffin was fast approaching her own car, ready to leave. “Shit,” he muttered, and quickened his pace to a jog.

“Miss Griffin!” Bellamy called out before she could open her door. He ran up to her, and didn't stop until he was directly in front of her, so close that she bumped into her side mirror, leaving it crooked. She reached out to adjust it back to normal, but he did it for her.

Bemused, the teacher focused back in him, with wide eyes and a parted mouth. “Can I help you?”

He realized that he was still quite close to her, so he backed up. However, they were squished between two cars, hers and a large pickup, and the distance wasn't very much. He began nonetheless. “Yeah, you can. I’m Bellamy Blake, Octavia’s brother. Octavia’s in your class.”

Miss Griffin nodded. “Of course she is. Is there something wrong?”

He took a deep breath through his nose before speaking. “Octavia’s over there in my car, crying her eyes out. She hasn't stopped crying since I picked her up. And even though she’s only 11, she’s tough, and the last time I saw her cry was when she was in diapers.” He felt a wave of anger pass over him, and he remembered Octavia’s face as she desperately wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Bellamy’s eyes darkened. He met the woman’s wide, blue irises and took a small step closer. Once again, she backed up against the door. “I don't know what the hell you're teaching in there, lady, but you're doing something wrong.”

This caught her by surprise. “ _Excuse_ me? You think your sister’s tears were my fault? Mr. Blake, do you see any other crying children around here?” She gestured to the playground, where kids who had stayed after school were playing on the swings and monkey bars. “My teaching was not the problem, I guarantee.”

“Then what the hell was?” Bellamy demanded, already impatient.

She hesitated before replying, and sighed as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “She didn't even tell you why she was crying?” Her voice sounded tired.

Bellamy narrowed his eyes. “No! That’s why I'm here,” He resisted the urge to call her a plethora of nasty names. But harshness would net get a story out of her; more likely it would get the police called, and if that was the case Octavia would never stop crying. _Or worse, they might think me an unworthy guardian and steal her away from me._ Thinking of that was enough for Bellamy to shut up, enough for him to bite his tongue out, were it ever to come to that. Hopefully it wouldn’t.

The teacher caught a look of his violent glance, and he saw her stop breathing. “Perhaps you should take it up with her, then. If you can get her to calm down, I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you what happened.” She was still, except for her hand, which was slowly reaching behind her for the door handle.

He saw what she was doing and understood what she was thinking and he bitterly thought, _there‘s no way I can win like this_. “Wait,” he bluttered, lifting his hands into the air as a sign of surrender. He backed up once again, so that he could feel the cool steel of the pickup truck on his back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have… it’s just, my sister’s hysterical in there. I've tried calming her down. But she’s stubborn and just telling her _it’s okay_ isn't enough. I… I would just appreciate if you could tell me what happened today. Please.”

She looked at him warily, though she released the tension in her body. “Mr. Blake… you are Octavia’s legal guardian, is that correct?”

He nodded, though he wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. She nodded back at him, and continued. “Today during recess, I watched a couple 5th graders approach Octavia and tell her something that clearly upset her. I intervened before things could get too messy, and brought Octavia inside. Her anger quickly turned to sadness, and she told me everything.” The whole time, she held his eyes. She was very good at this, Bellamy noticed, and he distantly wondered how often she'd done this. “She talked about your parents… and how they both died when she was very young. She told me about you, and about how you’ve been her parent for virtually all her life.”

“I was 18 when my parents died. I assumed guardianship as soon as possible.” For that, Bellamy was thankful. If he'd been one year younger, his wicked uncle would have gained guardianship of Octavia. And him, too. But it wasn't himself he had feared for — it was his sister. Their uncle was abusive and perverted, which was how he sent his wife away. Bellamy's worst nightmares consisted of Octavia falling into his grasp.

Snapping back into reality, he watched as Miss Griffin nodded before him. “That was good of you. She loves you very much.”

_I know._ “What happened, Miss Griffin?”

She swallowed, though she never broke eye contact. “Those boys out there insulted her, and teased her about her parents. They called her an orphan, and they… they said your parents drank themselves to death, and that — I'm paraphrasing here — their habits were what made her so unusual and unlikable.”

Bellamy’s teeth clenched. _I am going to shove those scum excuses for kids into a wall and punch their teeth out and drown them and set fire to_ … he continued to threaten the nameless kids in his mind while he replied to her. “That’s not how it happened. They didn’t drink themselves to death, they were both sober, they had been since college. They were riding in a taxi, and the driver was the drunk one, and — and then he —”

She nodded and quietly interrupted him. “I know. But kids will say anything if it means getting what they want. In fact, most men are the same way.” She muttered the last part and he was sure he wasn’t meant to hear it. But before he could respond she continued. “I got her to relax after a good 10 or 15 minutes, sent the boys down to the principal’s, and the day continued on as it normally would. By the end of the day I saw Octavia joking around and laughing with a couple of her friends, Roma and Monroe and Harper. It was like it never even happened.”

He frowned, and looked at his feet. “Why…” he breathed. He cleared his throat and tilted his head back up to look at her. “Why,” he repeated, in a louder voice, “would she start crying again with me?”

A sad smile appeared on the teacher’s face. “I think you know why, Mr. Blake.”

He had an idea, but he didn't want to admit it. But she did the speaking for him, thankfully. “Bellamy… can I call you Bellamy?” He nodded. “— You're the closest thing Octavia’s ever had for a father. Now, I'm no psychologist, but I can think of many reasons why she would be so affected once seeing you this afternoon. Perhaps the boys nursed a fear in her that she lost her parents, and she might lose you too. Or, maybe she misses her mom and dad so much, and your image is a reminder of what could have been, of what _should_ have been. Maybe she resents you for having had the chance to know your parents before they died. Maybe, for some bizarre reason that I can’t explain, she blames _you_ for your family’s death.”

He narrowed his eyes, and shook his head. “I had no part in their death. I was working, I had an 8 hour shift that day, I remember…” This time, she didn't interrupt him, but his voice trailed off and she took that as an invitation to speak.

“Children’s brains work in a strange way. I have no more idea than you as to why she would think this, but you have to consider all the possibilities.”

Though Bellamy had been feeling furious a few minutes ago, grief had replaced anger, and his shoulders sunk solemnly. “I never wanted this. I just want Octavia to be happy. It’s always been Octavia, I've never cared about me or anyone else. Just her.” He didn't even try to conceal the desperation in his voice. “What… what can I do to make her feel better? Should I send her to a therapist?” _We'd never be able to afford it, but I can get another job. We'll make do._  Then another thought crossed his mind, and his chest tightened. He had stopped breathing, but he forced the words out anyway. “Should… should I revoke my g-guardianship?”

“No. No, I don't think either of those options is necessary.” She wet her lips and took a small step towards him. “Bellamy… have you ever thought that Octavia might be lacking a female figure in her life? A _mother_ figure?”

Her words surprised him. His eyebrows raised to his hairline, and he blinked. _Did I hear her right?_ “Miss Griffin, what’s your name?” He asked suddenly. She was probably younger than him, and yet he still talked to her as if she was his elderly neighbor.

“My name is Clarke.”

“Clarke, I admit that I have never considered the notion that Octavia should need a motherly influence in her life.” _I always thought that I was enough. I always forced myself to be enough for her._ “I've always believed that I did a fine job raising her by myself.”

Clarke nodded. “That’s what my mom thought as well.” She pursed her lips, and for the first time looked away. He followed her eyes to the trees next to them, swaying slowly in the afternoon wind. Then he heard her speak, and watched her instead. “My father died when I was around 6. He was a firefighter, and he died saving a family on the top floor of an apartment building. Everyone called it a _noble_ death. But I didn't see it that way. I thought, if the world was just, and if my father was noble, then he should have stayed with me a bit longer. He should have been around to threaten my first boyfriend, and see me graduate. That’s the kind of man a young girl should have in her life, not a shadow of a person and the whispered words of _noble death_.” Clarke smiled, as if she thought fondly of the memory. But he knew her words were painful to utter.

“My family had been good friends with our neighbors, the Jaha’s. Wells was always looking out for me, and his father — Uncle Jaha, I called him — taught me how to ride a bike. The Jaha’s presence helped, but my _uncle_ was never my father. He had his own son to care for, and despite how much he loved me, he loved his son more.” Clarke exhaled, but her story was still not done.

“Finally, when I was maybe Octavia’s age, my mother started dating again. She met this man named Marcus. He’s a cold, hard man at first, but once you meet him, he will protect you through thick and thin and cherish you with his whole heart.” A wide smile grew on her face. “A couple years later, my mother and Marcus married. And he was the one who scolded my first boyfriend, and he was the one who attended my graduation, and he’s the one I text everyday, always greeting him with a _Hey, Dad_. We may not be of the same blood, but… the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” She smiled at him. “My real father would have wanted me to have a dad. He would have wanted me to be happy. And I am, with Marcus around.”

Bellamy sighed. He was convinced — but… “I've never been in a stable relationship for more than 3 months.” In truth, it was 1 month. But it didn't make much difference anyway.

Clarke bowed her head. “If you really love your sister I would suggest you try harder. Look at it this way — Octavia has you to build her a tree house and read her stories at night. But, what about when she gets her period? What about when she needs to vent about her relationships? What about when she needs to go shopping for bras? These are things that I'm sure you'd be able to handle, but a woman would handle it much better. If you want the best for Octavia, you might consider this. Take it from me, a girl who experienced losing a parent first hand.” She placed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, and he almost shivered. Warmth radiated off her body and off her smile, and for a moment, he felt like everything in the whole world would be better. He even smiled back.

“I guess… that I'll have to consider it.” Her smile grew wider, somehow. “But, Miss Griffin — Clarke — I have one last question. How can I comfort her now, before I get the opportunity to seduce someone?”

She laughed, and he felt her hand rub his shoulder reassuringly. “Lots of candy and sweets should work. Also, maybe a movie or two. And always a bedtime story to end the day.”

Bellamy laughed, and noticed the small beauty mark above her lip, and how long her eyelashes were. “I don't doubt that will do the trick. Thank you, Clarke, for the advice. And for being a good teacher to my sister.” He held his hand out for her to shake, but she pulled him in for a light hug instead. She rubbed his back soothingly, and his hands rested on her lower waist.

“Good luck,” She breathed in his ear, and pulled away. She looked him in the eyes and nodded. “I hope your situation works out for you.” With that, she opened her car door and slipped inside, and he watched her as she pulled out of the parking space. Finally, she waved at him before driving out of his sight. A smile remained on his face, and he stood in his spot, before he remembered Octavia. He rushed back over to his car, and found his sister in the back seat, whimpering softly.

“Hey, O.” He whispered, taking her small hands in his own. “What do you say we go home, make some popcorn, and watch your favorite movie?”

“Despicable Me?” Octavia gasped, a smile growing on her face.

“And the sequel.” He assured her, and she laughed and threw her arms around his neck.

“I love you, Bell!” She squealed, and he chuckled into her hair.

“I know,” Bellamy grinned.

The next day, Bellamy waved at Clarke as she exited the school building, Octavia sitting on his lap and waving too. The day after that, Bellamy chatted with Clarke about Octavia, and how he feared she'd gotten a cavity with all the candy she’d devoured.

The day after that, he got her number.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please let me know! <3


End file.
